And Then There Were Two . . .

Hollywood, CA - In a twist no one saw coming but some hoped for, American Idol fans chose their final two contestants for next Tuesday's finale - and the results were at least half a surprise, especially to the judges.

Throughout most of the season, and again this past Tuesday, the judges had been singing the praises of both rocker Adam Lambert and soulful crooner Danny Gokey, while largely dismissing the third contestant in the top three, Kris Allen. But they can ignore Allen and his fans no longer - Kris was sent through to the finale on Wednesday's result show, and Danny Gokey was eliminated from the competition, after a nationwide vote of more than 80 million.

Those of us who have watched the show since its inception are used to the judges attempting to throw one contestant or another under the bus, especially as the season progresses. Clearly, they tried to do it again Tuesday night after Kris performed his first song, "Apologize," by One Republic, the judges' choice. But after his second song, a brilliant, stripped-down cover of Kanye West's "Heartless," it was evident that Kris would not go quietly. I have to admit, I personally found it just slightly delicious that he managed to silence the overly critical judges with nothing more than his voice and a guitar.

Adam Lambert, long anointed as the competition's obvious front-runner, delivered a quiet version of U2's "One" and a somewhat overly strident rendition of Aerosmith's "Cryin'" that won him high praise from the judges, while Danny Gokey tried his hand at delivering Terence Trent D'Arby 's upbeat "Dance Little Sister" and Joe Cocker's classic "You Are So Beautiful."

But in the end, it was Allen who delivered the performance of the night with "Heartless" - and it is he who will now face off against Lambert in the finale. I'll be watching to see what these two talented performers have in store for us - and I'm willing to bet I won't be disappointed.